Chronicles of a Caped Crusader: Confliction - Part One

I want to thank my friend Thunder (Patt788) for his help proofing this, and for making me laugh at all my mistakes. You're my superhero, Thunder. ^-^

"Of all the stupid things!" Chloe complained as she sat down.

"Don't worry, Morphica. Help is on the way," Loraine's voice assured Chloe through her wrist communicator.

Chloe glared at her unconscious nemesis, a Bori who called himself the Tunneler. He had been robbing stores in Neopia Central by tunneling under them. Chloe had been assigned to the case and Chloe had tracked him to his lair. When he realized she was after him, he collapsed the tunnel to try to stop her, but instead he sealed himself in with a very annoyed Disco Zafara. After rendering him unconscious in a rather pathetic battle, she had called for backup to dig her out. When the crew arrived and surveyed the cave-in, they informed her it was going to be at least four hours before they would reach her.

"Isn't there anything down there you can amuse yourself with?" Loraine asked.

"Oh, yes, loads. I can read mushy, trite love stories. That is so much fun!" Chloe exclaimed sarcastically, as she glared at the Tunneler again. "You are more lame than the Meerca Brothers, and that's saying something!"

Loraine laughed softly over the communicator.

"I'm glad I'm amusing you, Loraine," Chloe said.

"No, it's just, you reminded me of me when I was your age, and I got stuck waiting for someone. I was pretty annoyed too, only you're kinder than I was about it," Loraine explained.

"You still owe me the story about when you were young and joined the DoN," Chloe prompted. "I'm not going anywhere, and I'm not reading Lenny Love. Have mercy, Loraine!"

Loraine laughed again. "There was a time when asking me to have mercy was a futile request. Back so many years ago, when I worked for Dr. Frank Sloth."

***

"Lynette, have you seen my spare blaster?"

Lynette looked up from her Virtupets Portable Computer's screen. The good Doctor had sent her and her partner a new mission, apparently. Buzz was suited up and almost ready to go. Lynette was always ready to go. Lynette's deep crimson body suit contrasted sharply with her blue-grey pirate Ixi coloring, it made her look as dangerous as she was. Buzz wore a suit of body armor in the same crimson color.

Buzz was a Grey Lupe and Garoo's second cousin. Though he was more ruthless than the Blumaroo Commander, Buzz didn't have Garoo's taste for power. He simply liked raising Cain for those Dr. Sloth told him to.

Buzz and Lynette were an amazing duo. When Dr. Sloth needed something done he sent his favorite pair. Few names inspired more terror on the Virtupets Space Station and Kreludor.

"Top drawer of your desk, under the Neopian Times. By the by, why do you read that? Who cares what's going on down on Neopia?" Lynette said.

"I happen to," Buzz grunted.

"Why? We never have anything to do with Neopia," Lynette asked.

"Because, I'm a little tired of living on the Space Station. Eventually I'm going to retire down to Neopia," Buzz explained.

"You, retire?" Lynette gasped. "You can't retire; you'd go insane!"

"I didn't say I'd stop making other people's lives miserable," Buzz laughed as he pulled the blaster and newspaper out of the drawer. "I'll just be retiring from service to Dr. Sloth. When that day comes, I hope you'll give this up and come with me. We can continue our reign of terror on Neopia."

Lynette snorted with laughter and told him he was going soft. Buzz moved to throw away the paper and Lynette caught sight of some strange machine pictured on it.

"What is that on the front of that paper?" Lynette asked.

"Some super villain calling himself Captain Nefarious is terrorizing Neopia. He's been all over the headlines for the last year. Here, you read it yourself; I don't have time to explain this to you. I have to go talk to Garoo about this mission Sloth is sending us on. I'll send you the details when I have them." Buzz grunted, as he waded up the paper and threw it to her.

Lynette caught it, and smoothed out the paper to read the article. She couldn't help but smirk as she read about the battle between Captain Nefarious and Judge Hog. There was a mention of a new superhero who fought with Judge Hog against Captain Nefarious; he was calling himself Super Lupe. Lynette crumpled up the paper and tossed it in the rubbish bin behind her.

"Bah, who cares what the Neopians are up to? One of these days Sloth is finally going to get his act together and we'll take over, then I'll read the paper," Lynette said aloud. "Superheroes, how idiotically childish."

Her screen beeped and she looked at it. There was a message from Buzz.

'Lynette, one of our scientists has fled to Neopia Central. You need to go get him yourself. The Doctor is sending me on a different mission; I can't share the details at the moment. Have fun.'

Lynette's grin was dark. She loved the chase.

***

Lynette landed her spaceship in a clearing in a small wooded area and proceeded to make her way out. She looked at her portable computer and read over the information they had sent her on the escaped scientist. She grunted with annoyance at how little information they had. She hated the pathetic security that they had up on the Space Station. The scientists were running off every other day and they couldn't even be bothered to keep tabs on their locations and communications in the days before they disappeared. It would make things a lot easier.

Lynette came to the edge of the forest and stopped. She pulled up the personnel file of the escaped scientist. Nothing in it seemed to indicate he had any contacts in Neopia Central. She groaned in annoyance. There was literally nothing to go on.

Suddenly, she realized there was a commotion in the distance. People were screaming and running around.

"Oh, this is smashing. What now?" Lynette groaned.

She pulled out her blaster, and jumped to the side as a Green Lupe in a cape and cowl shot past her. He hit the trees and slumped. Lynette turned her attention to what had caused him to be propelled so violently. Ahead of her, a giant robot was marching through the streets, leaving destruction in its wake.

"Dr. Sloth should hire that moron, he might get somewhere," Lynette commented to no one in particular.

A Moehog swooped out of the sky and attempted to attack the robot. He was easily swatted away by a giant hand. Belatedly, Lynette recognized him and the Lupe from the article she had read, Judge Hog and Super Lupe. She decided it was high time to make tracks. Last thing she needed was the superheroes finishing off the robot and noticing her. She started to walk away when one of the robot's hands slammed down in front of her, cutting off her path. She turned to look and found it was bending down, as if looking at her.

"Well, well, what have we here?" A voice was broadcast over speakers. "If it isn't Lynette, half of the famous duo, Buzz and Lynette. What are you doing out here all by yourself?"

"You have the advantage," Lynette said, pointing her blaster at the robot.

"I do. You may call me Captain Nefarious."

"That's a really stupid name; did you come up with it yourself? With all the brains you must have; you really couldn't come up with a decent name? That is truly hilarious," Lynette laughed in disgust.

"Laugh all you want, little Lynette. I'm the one who gets the last laugh."

"And why is that?" Lynette challenged.

"Because breaking you will make Buzz suffer, and I owe him."

"Bring it!" Lynette fired her blaster on full power before more could be said.

Sparks flew from the machine as her blaster's laser ripped a small hole in it. Captain Nefarious pulled back and raised his other arm to crush her. She waited, and jumped at the right time, racing up the arm towards the dome that shielded the mysterious Captain Nefarious within.

The robot began to spin to shake her off. She jumped and fired another shot, this time at the dome. It cracked at the impact point, but held. She dropped to the ground and fired a second shot at the same point. It was close and another set of cracks appeared.

However, it was at a cost. Lynette didn't have time to dodge the next attack. It hit her hard and knocked her to the ground. The robot raised its foot to stomp her and she knew she would not be able to get out from under it. She fired one last shot at the dome and braced herself for the crushing impact.

So quick she almost missed it, Super Lupe dived under and caught the foot, holding it aloft. Judge Hog swooped under and caught up Lynette, carrying her to safety. Super Lupe jumped backwards, letting the foot come down harmlessly.

Lynette was angry now, Nefarious had made it personal. "Lupe, distract him! Judge Hog, I'm going to fire one more time, right in the middle of the impact points I've already made on that dome. Hit with as much speed as you can in the center of the points and you should be able to break through the dome," she ordered.

They nodded, and moved quickly to do as she had said. Once Nefarious was properly distracted, Lynette raised her blaster and fired, hitting her mark. Captain Nefarious turned back to her, but before he could make a move, Judge Hog swooped in and rammed into the dome. The cracked barrier gave way beneath his force.

"It seems I lose," Captain Nefarious announced.

The entire dome flew off and a robot Eyrie shot out, moving too fast for Super Lupe or Judge Hog to catch him. Lynette slipped out of sight while the superheroes were distracted. Watching from a safe place she noticed the superheroes looking for her. For some reason Lynette couldn't tear her eyes from Judge Hog. She wanted to know why he had saved her; she was most definitely something he stood against. Putting aside her mission for the moment, she decided to follow him.